Should Every Stranded Dolphin or Seal Be Saved?

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January 1, 2008
A sick or injured seal or dolphin is found stranded on a
beach. Should limited marine mammal protection funds be spent to rehabilitate the
animal, or would they be better used to increase public education, law
enforcement, or research activities? Six marine mammal specialistsspanning the
research, conservation, veterinary, education, and stranding network communitieshave
taken on that heart-wrenching question in a paper published in the journal Marine Mammal Science. The authors, led by Michael Moore of the Biology Department
at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, have proposed an innovative “decision
tree” to sort out the conflicting priorities and issues that arise in the United States when
a distressed animal comes into human contact. The authors state:
“Rehabilitation efforts should be evaluated on whether the likely benefits to
science, nature, or knowledge outweigh the potential harm to individuals or
populations.” The systematic framework assesses the risks, benefits, costs, and
probabilities that branch out from various choices to euthanize, rehabilitate,
and release stranded animals. For decades, stranded animals have been treated and placed
in zoos and aquariums, but today there are more rehabilitated creatures than
permanent homes for them. In some regions, there are also public sentiments
that creatures should be released back into the wild, sometimes exposing
healthy populations to sick animals. Emotion-charged decisions to rehabilitate
can lead organizations to care for animals they have no assurance of funds to
support or treat. “Marine mammal rehabilitation is an effort that currently
lacks a coherent central set of core values, ethics, or goals...The effort remains
inconsistent, poorly supported, and fractious.”

Seals entangled in fishing lines and gear may strand on beaches, where they are noticed by people. Local stranding networks around the country send workers to evaluate the animals' condition and make difficult decisions about how to care for them. Here, a worker wraps and prepares to examine a badly entangled grey seal. (Courtesy of Cape Cod Stranding Network)

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is dedicated to research and education to advance understanding of the ocean and its interaction with the Earth system, and to communicating this understanding for the benefit of society. Learn more »